The Ex-Wife’s Billion Dollar Comeback Novel

---- Chapter 119: The Audit ~ Amanda ~ While Soraya and Jacob were away on vacation, Amanda and Cedric put their plan into motion. Earlier that day, they had met with the authorities to reopen Calum's drugging incident from seven years ago, and now Amanda and Cedric were walking into the Montclair Group with an external accounting firm to audit all businesses under the corporation. There were a total of ten accountants following their lead. No one knew who they were, but Cedric, being the chairman of the board, had already assigned a conference room for their temporary workplace.

After having the accountants settle in, Amanda and Cedric went straight to Calum's office. To their surprise, their son had a visitor. Rose was there, seated beside Calum while he worked on some documents. She was checking her phone, and when they arrived, she looked up, visibly nervous. "Mr. and Mrs. Montclair," Rose said, getting up. "Good afternoon." This woman was truly the opposite of Soraya. Rose looked so perfect-too perfect. Her nails were well-manicured, her face painted with skillful precision, every contour and highlight sculpting her features into something polished.

Her hair fell in flawless golden waves, not a strand out of place. Even the way she carried herself felt rehearsed, as if every step, every glance, was practiced to leave an impression. Amanda wouldn't deny that Rose was beautiful. She truly was. ---- Rose could easily pass for a high-end model if she wanted to; she certainly had what it took. But to Amanda, Soraya's beauty felt different. Hers was pure, effortless, the kind that didn't need layers of effort to shine. The best part of Soraya was her character and kind heart. Maybe Rose was really Calum's type, and if so, it was just...

such a shame her son couldn't be with a better woman. At least to Amanda and Cedric, Soraya was better than Rose. "Mom, Dad, what brings you here?" Calum asked, standing up from his desk. He looked pristine as always, his crisp suit perfectly pressed. His expression was calm, carefully measured, the kind that made it hard to tell what he was really thinking. "Rose and | were going to the mall later to inspect her boutique. She's having a relaunch next week at the Vanguard Galleria." "We have something urgent to discuss with you," Cedric said without acknowledging Rose.

"It's a private matter involving the company." Calum frowned. He turned to Rose, and she immediately understood. She smiled at Amanda and Cedric before leaving his office. "We are going to have an external audit in the company, this time with a different accounting firm," Cedric announced. " Some executives, including you, will have limited access to confidential files, financial records, and our finance system itself." "Are you... questioning me?" Calum asked, his grimace deepening. "No, Son," Cedric smiled calmly, not giving away anything.

"I just realized that we've only relied on Grantwell Auditors for our external audits. After five years with the same firm, it's ---- natural that they may have developed some biases. We've grown too familiar with them, and you have to admit that." "And that was my fault," Cedric admitted, gesturing with his hands. "Our bylaws did require changing accounting firms for yearly audits, but it just seemed too convenient to go with the Grantwell Auditors." Cedric didn't mention anymore that the firm had been Marvin' s choice. "Again, my mistake.

As the acting chairman of the board, it was my duty to make the call. You can continue focusing on the income generation side of the company, especially the logistics division. It has the potential to go big. Let me worry about the audit." "The audit will run for three weeks. Aside from the financial audit, we will have an external IT audit and a compliance audit. Until then, no one can delete communications, either from their computer or from the network," Cedric added. "External for IT and compliance audit? Is there something you are not telling me?" Calum asked.

Such audits were usually done internally. This was the first time in probably a decade since Cedric had imposed an external audit in this aspect. "While we have an internal review of our systems and communications, | also want an independent firm to validate it. | want to ensure that there are no blind spots," Cedric explained. Amanda and Cedric had agreed that perhaps it wasn't the time to tell Calum. He was very close to Claire and Roger, and he might just spill or confront them. The last thing they needed was for Marvin to be alarmed and start getting rid of evidence.

---- "Nothing, Son," Amanda said with a smile. "It's just that with the recent-" Amanda turned to her husband, silently asking for help. "If you remember, there have been several hacking incidents lately across the country. Even Jacob's company was attacked. Thankfully, his security system is strong, and he has the best IT people protecting his network. He also had help from the FBI. But attacks like these usually happen because of internal leaks. Otherwise, why would hackers target a specific company?" Cedric nodded.

"| was just talking with Veronica and Jacob-" "You talked with Jacob?" Calum asked, looking puzzled. " When?" "We were in Belridge yesterday,' Amanda shared, "just to visit Veronica." "Jacob shared some insights on company protection, and that's when I realized the Montclair Group hasn't changed its external audit partner in years," Cedric said. "At the same time, we can reinforce our defenses by bringing in an outside firm to back up the work of our internal IT team." "We will meet every week to discuss initial findings and, of course, after the audit, the final results," Cedric said.

"Do you have any questions for me?" "No," Calum responded. "It makes sense. | should lead by example." "Exactly," Cedric acknowledged. Rose seemed to have an instinct for when their discussion was over, because she walked back in, just in time. Amanda and Cedric intended to leave right away, but Rose walked up to them and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Montclair. | know ---- that this may seem intrusive, but there's something you should know about Soraya." Rose took out her phone and showed Amanda and Cedric several videos.

After having seen everything, Rose added, "Calum and | were really having second thoughts about showing you this video, but | felt that... you have the right to know." "Soraya, she-she isn't the person you think she is,' Rose said, looking genuinely concerned. "She is Senator Thomas Grayson's mistress." Amanda's brows met. She was torn about how to react at that point.